Life goes on, even if the air you breathe is killing you.
Everyday scenes from Delhi show a city moving through a grey haze, with buildings fading into the smog and commuters covering their faces.
With the pollution crisis deepening and the Air Quality Index staying in the severe zone, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stepped in, calling Delhi’s toxic air an “annual feature” and pressing authorities to move beyond temporary fixes.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to examine whether nine toll plazas at the capital’s entry points could be temporarily closed or relocated to ease chronic congestion and cut vehicular emissions.
The MCD has been directed to take a decision within one week on the feasibility of shutting these toll plazas to ensure smoother traffic flow at Delhi’s borders.
The court, however, refused to interfere with the Delhi government’s decision to shut schools for students from nursery to Class 5, noting that the winter break was already around the corner and no further tinkering was required.
As emergency measures kicked in across the city, Delhi labour minister Kapil Mishra announced that from Thursday, all government and private offices must operate with 50 per cent of their workforce working from home.
The government has warned of fines for violations.
Mishra also said construction workers would be paid Rs 10,000 as compensation for unemployment during periods when construction work is halted due to pollution-related lockdowns.
Under the GRAP-IV regime, Delhi and NCR governments have also been directed to shift to a hybrid mode of education, combining physical and online classes for students of Classes 6 to 9.Even the judiciary has adjusted to the smog.
Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant has advised Members of the Bar and parties-in-person to consider appearing through video conferencing, with the Supreme Court Registry issuing a circular in view of the prevailing weather conditions.